Protesters packed into a school hall as part of a campaign to fight plans to close Oswestry’s maternity unit.

Expectant mothers, midwives, townspeople and mothers with their newborn babies, questioned a board of health officials last night at a public meeting held at The Marches School and Technology College, Morda Road, Oswestry.

More than 150 people turned out for the gathering. They were told there was “never a plan B” if the maternity unit was to shut its doors.

David Sears, chairman of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital Trust, admitted that the closure would be down to “poor management.”

Mr Sears said they had all “hoped and prayed” that in the long term beds would transfer to the Oswestry Health Village, but the plan has been held up in a wrangle about whether it should be kept as a green.

Many disgruntled members of the audience took to the microphone to quiz the panel of officials.

Mr Sears apologised that all parties had failed to plan ahead after hospital bosses warned three years ago that the building housing the maternity unit would have to close due to the spiralling costs of bringing the ageing building up to scratch.

But Councillor Bill Jenkins, Shropshire County Council member for Weston Rhyn, said the apology was a “cop out”.

Officials say they have looked into several possible solutions to keep the service in Oswestry, but many were not financially viable.

Mr Sears has agreed to schedule a meeting for Wednesday at the hospital, to see if the fire certificate can be extended by Shropshire Fire Service and other safety officials, to keep the building open for now.

But North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson called on the primary care trust and the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust to hold a public meeting to review the situation in six weeks.

By Antonia Merola